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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 12, 2002

The Bush administration on Wednesday proposed changes in federal regulation that would limit environmental and judicial review of forest-thinning projects.

Bush officials said the changes would make it easier to clear overgrown forests that have contributed to a spate of wildfires. But environmentalists said the administration was gutting environmental protections to benefit the timber industry.

The changes are a scale-back of the Healthy Forest Initiative that was announced this past summer. Congress failed to act on the changes Bush sought.

These administrative changes will become final after a 30-day public comment period.

Get the Story:
Fact Sheet: Reducing the Threat of Catastrophic Wildfires and Improving Forest Health (The White House 12/11)
Bush Sets Rules to Speed Logging in U.S. Forests (The Washington Post 12/12)
White House forest plan to thin out logging rules (The Denver Post 12/12)
Forest thinning may get boost (The Rapid City Journal 12/12)
Sweeping shift in forest policy: Bush plan would skip environmental reviews (The Seattle Times 12/12)
Bush Proposes Change to Allow More Thinning of Forests (The New York Times 12/12)
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Relevant Links:
Healthy Forest Initiative - http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/healthyforests/index.html

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